Iron Cross
by trilightmist
Summary: Prussia is reliving some of his favorite moments as he dies.


A/N: So…I'm on a roll this week. I started writing this during my least favorite class! Oh boy! I think it turned out pretty good. I changed it a lot from my first draft, but the underlying significance of the cross is still there. Hope you guys enjoy it! R&R

Iron Cross

Prussia clutched the last remaining item of his existence to his chest: his iron cross. He would never forget the day this became his symbol of strength and life. It was a sort of safety net to him, because whenever he felt lost, he would look at the iron cross and feel relieved. He could clearly remember the day he gave his iron cross to Germany…

O.o.O

_Prussia looked at the iron cross in his hands. The thin chain was wound around his hand to assure its safety from falling. He looked down at the little blonde haired, blue eyed child in front of him. Prussia's thin lips twisted into a smile as he stooped down to look straight into his little brother's eyes. He held the chained cross in between them._

"_What's that?" Germany asked, curiosity burning in his eyes. His small hands reached out to grab the new wondrous object that was being presented to him._

"_It's a gift for you. I got it when I was young. It's a good luck charm. I wanted you to have it," Prussia smiled and handed Germany his iron cross before ruffling the boy's hair and standing up, "You're going to grow strong, brother."_

_Germany smiled real big before sliding the chain over his head and admiring the cross one last time. Then with a laugh Germany ran off to play with one of Prussia's dogs. Prussia watched the two play with a grin before turning with a sigh. He still had work to do. _

O.o.O

A tear rolled down Prussia's cheek and dripped from his chin to the ground before him. His legs buckled under him as he felt his life draining away every minute. An angry growl escaped the falling country's lips. He was supposed to be strong. He had to be strong for his brother. For his friends. For himself. His hands grabbed the earth beneath him and he pulled up the grass with a snarl before throwing the clumps of dirt and vegetation at a nearby tree. He wasn't supposed to be falling apart, at least not now. He still had to make sure Germany could support the country smoothly and strongly. The iron cross was now lying on the ground in front of him. He reached out and as he picked it up, he remembered more vivid memories.

O.o.O

_Prussia sighed and let his quill drop to the paper in front of him. Lately he had been staying up late into the night to finish his paper work so he could spend time with Germany. The teenager still had much to learn and Prussia wasn't about to let his brother grow up to be an incompetent nation that falls at the slightest push. He had taught his brother swordsmanship first; a country that couldn't defend itself would fall quickly. Germany had picked up the skill quickly, and though he wasn't as good at fighting as Prussia, he could move on to his next topic. His ears twitched to the creaking of the door behind him. He stood and saw his younger brother in the door way._

"_Sorry…I thought you would be asleep. I wanted to give you this," Germany stuck his hand out with his palm shut. Prussia looked at him curiously before reaching for the item in Germany's hand. A crudely crafted iron cross fell into his palm. Prussia brought it up to study in the dim candlelight, "It's not the best, I know, but I wanted to repay you for giving me yours when I was younger. It's also for your birthday. If you don't like it I can make it aga-"_

"_I love it, brother. Thank you," Prussia smiled and ushered his brother into a hug. Then he slid the iron cross around his neck where his old one used to hang, "It's perfect."_

O.o.O

Pain was shooting through every fiber of Prussia's being. He was now lying on his back towards the stars. His teeth were gritted through the pain. He had left home early in the morning because he wanted to die alone. His country was no longer his. His people were now Germans, not Prussians. Prussia has sensed this day coming for a long time, but he thought he had more time. He wiped a stray tear from the corner of his eye.

He didn't want Germany to see him like this. He now regretted his decision to leave without telling Germany. He realized he needed his brother. He had to tell him one last time that he loved him. He had to hug the giant he called a brother just one last time. But now he would never be able to do that. Prussia forced a sob down. He refused to cry in his final moments. Now was the time to remember the good times. Prussia gripped the iron cross to his chest harder. The iron cross he possessed now had been given to him by Germany a few years after he received the first one. A ghost of a smile placed itself upon Prussia's lips as he remembered that day.

O.o.O

"_West!" Prussia smiled widely as he ran to his brother. Germany smiled as well and opened his arms to a hug._

"_Prussia! I'm glad you made it. I was beginning to believe you were going to be too drunk to find your way here," Germany smirked as his brother playfully punched his arm._

"_The beer in Austria isn't very good. I never touch the stuff," Prussia laughed, "I got you something," he reached into his pockets and fished out a magazine. Germany looked at the cover and blushed deeply before grabbing the dirty magazine and hiding it in his own pocket._

"_Don't flash that around, brother. It's inappropriate," Germany looked around to assure no one had seen their exchange, "I got you something too," he pulled out a new iron cross out of his pocket, "The one I made never looked great, and now that you've used it for so long, it looks even worse."_

_Prussia took the well-made iron cross in his hands. The iron gleamed brightly and it was the perfect weight. He took off the old one and placed it in his pocket before putting on the new one, "It's perfect, West. Thank you," Prussia admired the iron cross again before Germany and he began mapping out tactics._

O.o.O

Prussia's vision began to blur and swirl around. He had tried to stand several times but had never managed due to his dizziness and weakness in his knees. He grasped the grass as if to try to stop the earth from spinning, but his desperate grasp did nothing to help. He heard twigs break and tried to look to the area he heard the noise. It was probably an animal, who would be the only witness to the broken country's bitter end. Instead he found himself looking at the dirty boots of his brother.

"Prussia!" Germany got down and pulled his brother into his lap. He examined his brother, who was sweating and seemed almost unconscious. Prussia's eyelids fluttered open just enough to distinguish shapes and saw his brother looking down at him worriedly.

"Hey, West. How are you doing?" Prussia smiled weakly. Germany could feel tears brimming at his eyes. He could tell Prussia was near his end, but he couldn't just let it happen.

"Hey, Prussia, I'm going to get you to the other countries. Maybe one of them can help you? You're going to be just fine," Germany seemed desperately trying to convince himself rather than the dying country in his arms. Prussia shook his head slowly.

"No. Nothing can stop this. It's over West. I'm dying. You'll have to take care of m- our people. Okay?" Prussia's voice was barely audible and Germany had to lean over to hear.

"No. You'll be fine. We can stay together. I'll let you drink beer every night. You can't just give up!" Germany finally felt the tears flowing down his face. He pulled Prussia into a tight hug and kept whispering his pleas.

"Germany, it's my time. Just like it was for Germania. I'm not saying it's awesome, but it's unavoidable. Some day you will join me, but it better be hundreds of years from now, okay?" Germany nodded. Prussia smiled widely as his tears finally fell, "Ich liebe dich, Bruder."

"Ich liebe dich," Germany muttered back as his eyes closed. He waited for Prussia's next remark but when he opened his eyes his brother's body hung limp in his arms. His crimson eyes were closed and his face held a peaceful look. Germany brought his brother close to him and began to cry long into the dark night.

O.o.O

Germany was sitting in the front row of the chairs. A sea of black sat behind him. The cold wind felt rough and unforgiving against his skin. His eyes were focused onto the cherry wood casket five feet in front of him. Colorful flowers sat on top of the shiny wood. Germany stood up as the casket began descending into the dark hole. A bouquet of flowers were gripped tightly in the mourning country's hands. He threw his flowers on top of the coffin that held his now dead mentor, friend, brother. His face held no emotion, but deep within him he was screaming in agony. His only family was now gone. A warm hand wrapped itself around his arm and he looked down at Italy. The country smiled sadly at him before leaving Germany to say his last goodbyes.

Germany reached into his pocket and pulled out the iron cross his brother had given him. It was the last thing he had left of his brother now. He placed it around his neck and almost felt as though his brother was still standing beside him making a snide comment, or pulling some sort of wacky prank. Germany smiled slightly before turning away from the grave to return home. Prussia would not want him to be grieving for so long. He would want him to make his country strong. That was exactly what he intended on doing. For his brother.


End file.
